Creativity Reigns
11/10/2017
"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun." -Mary Lou CookOne thing that most of our sweet kindergartners have in spades is imagination. With a little bit of time and a lot of freedom, some leftover cardboard scraps, straws, and caps become a fire-filled ramp and a race car; more cardboard becomes an airport for paper airplane dragons; a box and some paper become houses for beloved stuffies; pattern blocks provide elaborate play that stretches across days. Our students tackle all of the challenges throughout our day, but they devour our weekly Creative Time with a different kind of eagerness. They relish this time where the possibilities are limited only by their own imaginations. They survey the materials we've collected in our project monster during the week, add a little tape here, a tweak there, and before I know it, I'm surrounded by proud students and the impressive products of their imaginations. "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." -Maya AngelouCreativity is a skill, one that can be nurtured and grown--or squelched. Creativity breeds ingenuity and problem solving skills, which are important soft skills. Forbes consistently lists ingenuity and the ability to problem solve in its list of the top 10 skills for which employers are looking. (Initiative, which is likewise connected to creativity, also frequents the list. Individuals who are able to think for themselves, think of a situation in a new way, and problem solve will naturally take initiative.) Unfortunately, we sometimes create the boxes around children's thinking in school. We encourage individuals to "think outside the box," but oftentimes we have drawn the very lines that box in their thinking. Students too often learn that a certain and specific type of product, algorithm, or path to a solution is "right" and everything else is "wrong." School can then become more about making the grade than about making discoveries, taking risks and learning new things, or exploring our world and becoming a good and productive citizen of it. However, this is not the case at PNA. Creativity is encouraged throughout our day, and thankfully, through our curriculum. During math, students are constantly challenged to explore different configurations, look at a problem from different angles, or solve it without a provided formula or algorithm. They are asked and taught to share their thinking, to try to solve the problem in a new and different way, and to listen to and learn from their fellow mathematicians. Writing, reading, and projects provide another opportunity for students to express themselves, explore their own interests, learn from the interests of others, and solve problems, all while learning the appropriate content. Teachers facilitate and guide, rather than dictate, instruction and learning--a bit of information provided here, a leading question there. Students experience the creativity of others through collaboration with peers, by studying mentor texts in both reading and writing, and through their immersion in the arts throughout the week. PNA is truly a place where creativity reigns, and I am so thankful for that. "Our task, regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible. No one can do more." -Loris MalaguzziOne of the joys of my job is seeing the world through my students' eyes, sharing in the joy of discovery and limitless options, seeing something in a new way because of my students' perspective and creativity. Because of this, our Creative Time is one of my favorite times of the week. I love to see what they come up with, which materials they choose to use, the little details they choose to add, and the way they solve problems along the way. I have found that when they think the sky is the limit, the sky truly is the limit.
Comments are closed.
|
Saania AliMs. Ali graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. She specializes in Early Childhood Education, ESL, and Special Education. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and painting! Archives
April 2021
Categories |